


All Is Well (It's Only Blood)

by gayjhin



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Angst, Bad Ending, Blood Loss, Darkin Corruption, Death, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Zed is just mentioned but yknow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23640868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayjhin/pseuds/gayjhin
Summary: In a way, Rhaast felt merciful, there was no way Kayn would even make it through the night in his current state.
Relationships: Shieda Kayn/Rhaast
Comments: 6
Kudos: 102





	All Is Well (It's Only Blood)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to my good friend rk for beta reading and editing this for me!  
> this is part of an au that them and i came up with  
> title is a song title by radical face

The rain was a welcome comfort to the throbbing, burning pain that enveloped Kayn's body. He struggled to find a grip on the mud beneath his palms. He had tried to regain his balance again and again, but was instead just digging himself a rut. His knees gave out a long time ago, he was barely able to drag them through the dirt. Through blurred vision he couldn't tell if his attackers were even still around him. All he could hear was his own labored breaths and beating heart. He had killed time and time again, leaving a wake of dead Noxians in his path, and this time would've been just like every other. He took out so many, he should've been able to escape. That mindset is exactly why he lied right here on the ground. Kayn grit his teeth, ignoring the straining muscles and bones as he pushed himself onto an arm. He could see Rhaast, his red eye glowing bright, now slightly obscured by the muck. Kayn reached for him, but before he could wrap his fingers around the scythe his arm gave out, and he was slammed back down into the earth. He had been too cocky, too determined to impress Zed, now he just felt pathetic. Zed would disown him if he were to see him in this state. Weak. The word made Kayn shudder. Tears even threatened to fall at the corners of his eyes, or was it just the raindrops falling onto his face? He couldn't tell anymore, nor did he care. A Shadow Order assassin reduced to nothing more than another war casualty. Half his head lying in the mud, He reached out towards Rhaast again. He had to get up, he had to keep going. What was he if not Zed's most loyal acolyte? Trembling fingers managed to seize the handle of the scythe and Kayn gasped in triumph, maybe, but mostly just for more air. He was becoming more and more lightheaded, his whole body one huge sore. He couldn't assess the damage on himself, everything hurt. He knew he was rapidly losing blood minute by minute but he just couldn't muster the strength.

"Rhaast..." He croaked. "Are they still there?"

"Don't you think that if they were still here you'd be dead by now?" Rhaast's voice flooded his mind. The darkin eye blinked, looking around. Around him were corpses; Ionians, Noxians, and Kayn's own dying body. "They must've took you for someone dead and left it at that. Aren't you lucky?" Kayn could almost see the upcurl of a vicious grin in that sentence. He didn't have time to process it, nor the mindset to make the usual witty banter with Rhaast.

"Lucky..." he spat, still struggling to speak. "Bold of you to consider this lucky." He lifted his head, sticky with blood and mud. He would try again, forcing his arms and legs to crawl across the ground. Fingers dug into the mud, Knees scraped, screaming at him to stop the strain. He was clambering now, one hand still gripping Rhaast as he trudged forward. He couldn't get far, whimpering as his body gave out again. It felt as if every bone in his body had been broken. He expected a snicker, some kind of quip from Rhaast. There was none. Kayn wanted to scream, but the lack of air in his lungs wouldn't let him. There was no one around who could save him, there was no one around at all aside from the scythe. He glanced at Rhaast, just as helpless as him. The sky had become a darker grey, Kayn wondered how much time had passed now. He tried a different method of balance this time. Drawing his legs under him and his arms by his head he found he was able to sit on his calves. It hurt, the ache was immense, but it was more progress than he had made thus far. He gripped Rhaast again, using the scythe as a means to find his way to his feet. Both of his hands wrapped around him as he lifted himself. One of his legs wouldn't straighten, a sharp pain shooting through his spine. He staggered, breathing as steadily as he could, and walked forward. The mud made his journey difficult, so did his soaked clothing that dragged him down, threatening him to collapse to the ground once more. The further he walked, now into the cover of trees, the more he limped, the more his body once again pulled him down. His eyelids felt heavy, what direction was he walking in again? 

"Maybe Zed will be impressed after all, Kayn." Rhaast's voice returned. Kayn didn't respond, focused on simply staying upright. Their journey continued, now deep into the maple trees and bamboo. Kayn had limped a long way to here, it was pitch black now, the only light being Rhaast's smoldering bright eye. Suddenly, he pitched the bottom of Rhaast's handle into the dirt. Kayn now gripped him as tightly as he possible, forehead pressed against the curve of his handle, where it faded into his blade. Kayn’s hands wrapped around him were freezing cold and trembling. It was clear Kayn was on the verge of collapsing again. Rhaast could feel his quickened breathing hot against himself, Kayn was hyperventilating. The scythe wobbled as he slowly lost his balance.

"Easy, Kayn." Rhaast reassured him. "Let's go sit down, relax..."

"Where? Rhaast it's so dark, I can't see..." Kayn glanced around frantically.

"To your right. There's a tree. Just feel for it and you will find it." Rhaast said. Kayn tried to reach the tree, by the end he was nearly crawling towards it. His back thumped against the trunk and he slid down scraping until he was sitting, no doubt creating more wounds on his already broken body. He groaned when he landed, his back torn raw. It was nothing compared to the rest of his injuries.

"Am I going to die here, Rhaast?" Kayn asked, his grip was still tight on the scythe as he leaned it against his chest.

"No Kayn, of course not. Remember? You're strong, you're going to make it back to Zed." Rhaast comforted him. It was clear Kayn was losing this fight, but the words made a momentary smile flash across his features.

"I don't have any bandages...nothing to heal myself with, no one's around either. What am I supposed to do?" Kayn sounded hopeless and almost pathetic. 

"Just rest, close your eyes and rest here beside me." And Rhaast watched as he did so. The forest was silent aside from the fall of rain, now soft compared to the downpour earlier. If Kayn was not to die from his injuries, he would die of hypothermia, his body soaking wet and caked with dirt and blood. It was a long while before Kayn opened his eyes again, Rhaast was almost sure the boy had gone if not for the vice hold on his scythe. Kayn blinked, half lidded, eyes staring into Rhaast's own.

"It hurts, Rhaast, it hurts so much..." His voice cracked as tears ran down his cheeks. It was strange for Rhaast to see Kayn in this state, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He had thought of ways to approach it but never thought he'd actually experience it. Kayn was so...vulnerable.

"I know, I know it hurts, Kayn. I can help you, you're gonna be okay." Rhaast cooed. But from the way Kayn had to fight for every breath, it wasn't going to be long now.

"How? I don't understand how can you--" Kayn was cut off mid-sentence.

"Shhh...Shh, Don't waste your breath, you need it to keep alive. For Zed? Right? I'm gonna help you, I'll help take your pain away." He assured him, consciousness wrapping around Kayn's. Rhaast tried to make it feel soft, almost like an embrace, this was the closest Kayn had ever been to letting down his defense.

"Mmm..." Kayn mumbled, head resting against the trunk of the tree. "Okay..."

"I'll take all your pain away, you won't need to feel like this anymore. Just close your eyes again for me, okay?" Kayn's eyes fluttered shut once more. "Good...Now let your mind go, let it travel to another place. Imagine we've just got back from our mission, it was successful, like it always is. Zed is there in the temple when we return and he greets you differently this time. It's no longer a cold acknowledgement..." Rhaast had to keep this fantasy grounded in reality, he couldn't risk things here, not when he was so close. He had to admit, when he looked at the boy, he felt bad. That small smile had returned to Kayn’s face. In a way, Rhaast felt merciful, there was no way Kayn would even make it through the night in his current state. It's good to give him some comfort in what might be his final moments, his final conversation. At least that's what he kept telling himself as his consciousness invaded more of Kayn's decaying mental state. It was a strange feeling, certainly not the way he had felt when they started out their day. The ability to feel sorry for a human.

"Keep breathing Kayn, in and out," He interrupts when he sees Kayn slip. Kayn hums in confirmation, and Rhaast finds himself content when he can see Kayn's chest start rising and falling again. He continues, "...He embraces you and holds you tight to his chest. He thanks you for how hard you work for Ionia, you wrap your arms around him. You press your cheek to his warm chest, smiling with glee from how happy you are to see him. After the two of you pull apart, he puts a hand on your shoulder. He..." Rhaast hesitates here, his own voice cracking. "He says that you've always been his brightest pupil, and that he's--he's proud to call you his son." Kayn's mind has gone so far that he believes this fantasy is his current reality. With his unsteady breathing and slowing heartbeat, Rhaast can feel himself overtaking Kayn's consciousness as well as his body.

"Now open your eyes, Kayn." Rhaast says with the last shred of communication the two have between them. Kayn does so, though with great effort. His cheeks are stained with tears, muck and blood. Rhaast looks upon him, there isn't a predatory feeling inside him, no urge to rip Kayn's soul to shreds, he thinks that maybe in another life things didn’t have to end like this. Kayn still has that smile on his face as his eyes bore into Rhaast's eye. The red glow is comforting to him, somehow, as he comes to terms with his fate. With his last breath, he lets Rhaast in. It didn't hurt like Kayn always imagined it would, it was peaceful, like falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> any feedback is appreciated, ty for reading!


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